Brits banned from buying halogen lightbulbs with average cost £100 to replace them

You might not have thought about them in a long time, but when your lightbulbs give up the ghost it’s frustrating to have to go and find the right ones.

It will be even more difficult as Brits won’t be able buy halogen bulbs starting next week. As part of the government’s plans to go greener the higher energy bulbs will not be sold in stores from October 1.

Instead you’ll now need to get LED lightbulbs which are more energy friendly and last several years longer than halogen or fluorescent.

They also use less power – a massive 80% in fact – and are cheaper to run. That’s great!

Even though costs have decreased over the years, LED bulbs still cost more to purchase. Meaning that if you have a few bulbs pop at once you’ll have to spend a fair bit of change.

The government announced that halogen bulbs would be banned in stores last year and it was planned to go ahead on September 1 2021.

A spokesperson for the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS), said: “Phasing out inefficient, energy-intensive halogen lightbulbs will cut 1.26 million tonnes of CO2.

“This short one-month delay will ensure these new requirements can be implemented effectively immediately once live.”

Fluorescent lights – those annoying ones they use in offices – will also be banned from sale from September 1 2023.

The widespread change will apply to the sale of all lighting fixtures with bulbs which can’t be replaced meaning that fixtures have to be thrown away.

Luckily, households won’t need to replace all of their bulbs by the deadline and instead can swap their halogen bulbs for LED as they run out.

According to the Sun, the EnergySavingTrust estimates that it would cost a household £100 a year to replace all their bulbs with LED versions. But, the more energy-efficient option will slash energy costs by £40 a year.

While you may feel the pinch, your wallet will be grateful over time.

What would YOU do? Tell us in the comments…

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